Many issues arose to lead up to the Zoot Riots. The community was worried about Mexican-American's vs. themselves during wartime. They thought of them as the rebellious youth who were prone to becoming brainwashed or recruited by spies during the war. The community did not trust anybody during the wartime, especially the Mexican-Americans. Police regularly harrassed Mexican-Americans because they thought of them as the criminal element. Parents were scared for their children because the police would pick up anybody from the age 12 to 25. If the youth were disrespectful, suspicious, or solemn, they were bound to get picked up or beaten up. The police also grew in frustration because many of their officers were being sent off to war. These were the causes of the extremely segregated community. The Mexican-Americans grew a strong hatred for the white people and banned together to show it and the white people did not trust the Mexican-Americans and expressed it through violence or discrimination. White sailors and service-men feared walking the streets alone through the Mexican-American neighborhoods. The white community did not hide their fear or hatred for the Mexican-American community, in the Sleepy Lagoon trial, the judge wouldn't let them clean up because they wanted to the people to be able to profile them in a negative way. They wanted them to look dirty, worthless and criminal like. The police would beat them until they were unconscious just so they would confess. The white community did not treat the Mexican-Americans fairly and it showed throughout the trial and throughout the streets of Las Angeles.